The Saga of Kaara Sunstriker
by SogekingSchofield503
Summary: Known to history as "The Captain of the Quaking Coast", Kaara Sunstriker's story is a narrative of heroism, of mysticism, and of adventure. Set approximately two centuries before the events of Mists of Pandaria, the good captain's legend begins in a remote village on the Kun-Lai Coast, and tells of the loyal Pandaren crew who followed her into action.
1. A Dusty Portrait

Lorewalker Shuchun was going through someone else's work. This was a common part of her duties, of course. She frequently found gaps within the libraries she frequented and had to consult the knowledge others had gathered. Anything older than twelve thousand years was hard to find: the Mogu had destroyed most of the history that came before in an effort to deprive the Pandaren of the knowledge of the past.

When Lorewalker Towasuu had passed away, her collection had not been disturbed. At the last meeting the Lorewalkers had called, in the muggy halls of the Temple of the Red Crane, they had reluctantly agreed that someone must step into the Lorewalker's sanctum and distribute what she had gathered. Knowledge that was compiled in one place, but no one else was able to look into, was far from useful.

It was with great reverence that Shuchun entered the Lorewalker's sanctum, a dusty set of rooms in a library. The coastal village she'd come to was small, even by Pandaren standards, and only Lorewalker Cho and Pao had known the name of the place.

Shuchun's curiosity guided her now. She had cleared a shelf of books, a group of related volumes about various medicinal herbs that could only be found on this stretch of coastline. The books in question were almost four centuries old, and appeared to be a collection put together by several herbalists, who'd related their findings to a healer.

In the process of clearing that shelf, she found a rueful note from Towasuu about how those herbs had been difficult to find when an outbreak of Heaving Cough had passed through the village. Many had died by the time they were recovered, brought here, and then used. The sickness had claimed many who were Shuchun's age. The note certainly explained why she'd found mostly very old or very young Pandaren here – her generation had been nearly destroyed in this place…

Towasuu kept good notes, and most of her collection had built up as questions from the villagers reached her. Curiosity had been her guide as well, wherever the Lorewalker's mind had led her had drove her to seek out certain volumes from other lorewalkers. A few had slips attached to them explaining that a lorewalker had died in another village and their assistants didn't desire the volume returned at that particular time.

It was in the process of dusting off a shelf higher than the one she'd cleared that Shuchun heard a clatter. She reached up and removed an oval board…a board into which a picture had been set, but had fallen out of. Scrabbling for it, Shuchun found the picture in short order. Her eyes widened at once.

It was no mere picture – the colors were those of a portrait artist, and one with no small degree of skill. Though it was a small portrait and had fallen free of its frame, the painting captured its subject vividly. A Pandaren woman with accosting blue-grey eyes stared over Shuchun's shoulder, her nose bearing a trio of scars and a cut just above her right eye. Her face was worn, but there was a fire in those blue-gray eyes that remained after all these years…the kind of look that commanded many lives. Shuchun supposed they might well have regarded the fates themselves with equal vigor, and might have well dared them. A black jacket with strange silver bars that resembled no Pandaren outfit Shuchun had ever seen framed the woman's shoulders.

The woman was the central focus of the picture, but the background retained its colors and image excellently. Was this enchanted ink that had been used? Shuchun suspected it must be so. The background of the picture was of a coastal village, with tossing, raging waves that almost seemed to be alive with froth. A ship forged against them, striving for the sea, a spread of sails raised against them.

Shuchun turned over the painting's frame to see if there was anything else. The characters had been written by a skilled hand, and appeared to be faded as far as who the artist had been. The line indicating who the subject was had survived, though Shuchun had to use a finger to remove the dust from it.

"Kaara Sunstriker – Captain of the Quaking Coast"

Shuchun sat back in the chair that had once been Towasuu's and closed her eyes. For a moment, she imagined the coastline, a bold captain in command, a vessel to sail into the mists…and survive. The Lorewalker placed the painting and the frame onto the shelf she had emptied, and surveyed the shelf above it to see if there was anything written about this Kaara Sunstriker.

In a few moments (and a few coughs from the dust), Shuchun had found three books about the Captain of the Quaking Coast – a title that didn't indicate Kaara's ship, but rather, the region that she had been renowned over. When her eyes found the thickest of the books was a Lorewalker who had learned the stories of Captain Sunstriker, Shuchun smiled at once. She'd make certain to read this story as soon as the task of clearing out Towasuu's office was complete.


	2. The Shattered Peace

According to the outsiders that had shown up (particularly humans), the devil was in the details. In this case, they were right – Shuchun and Cho had both noticed that the coastline in the picture that Shuchun had found was too detailed to be simple window dressing. It had been based on a real location. Once they'd established that, finding the location was the tricky part – the coast of Kun-Lai changed regularly, and the recent parting of the mists would mean that any picture that had them as a reference would be affected accordingly.

It took some time to find the specific place in the portrait's background. A few of the elders had laughed when Cho had asked them about the Quaking Coast. Finally, an older woman had told them that the coastline from this village all the way up to Zouchin was called the Quaking Coast. That wasn't something that helped them narrow the search area. Fortunately, they had the benefit of a high, stony quartet of ice-capped mountains in the far background. Coasts could change drastically within a single year, but the mountains of Kun-Lai changed with far less frequency.

However, their first responsibility was redistributing the books from Towasuu's study. This was far from a simple task indeed – Shuchun twice made the long trip to the Shado-Pan Monastery that a few volumes belonged to. When she could find the time, she read the other books about the Captain of the Quaking Coast.

One was an account of a lorewalker that had traveled aboard Captain Sunstriker's vessel from Honeydew Village to the coasts of Krasarang – the descriptions of the crew and the life aboard the ship were so rich that when Shuchun opened the covers, she could see herself standing on the deck, the timbers secure beneath her feet. The noises of Pandaren at work surrounded her ears, and within moments, she'd fallen asleep…her thoughts of the book she had read.

Waking up was not something Shuchun looked forward to when she had the dreams about being at sea. It was on her second trip to the Monastery that a wild snowstorm blew down from Kun-Lai and blocked the passes. Shuchun had two days to herself to enjoy the books. In a small room in the Shado-Pan Monastery, huddled near a fireplace, the Lorewalker's eyes began to rove the pages of Kaara's account – now that she knew a good deal about the ship, she could delve into the story of the ship's captain.

It began not far from the village that she had uncovered Kaara Sunstriker's portrait. Shuchun discovered very quickly that had not always been Kaara's last name – in fact, her name was something very different at the outset.

All legends had to begin somewhere.

* * *

Kaara Galebreath woke with a weary yawn to the sound of pounding waves. Life as she knew it was constantly spent on the move – her parents were members of the Anglers, a guild of Pandaren that plied their skills up and down the coasts of Pandaria. The day was a cold one, the sky was overcast, and Kaara was quite hungry. She rose to her feet, yawned, and adjusted her garments about her – she'd worn a raincoat to bed, just in case a storm broke over the coast. With the small vessel her parents and aunt owned only having one deck to work with, Kaara had found quickly that sleeping in a rainslick (and being somewhat uncomfortable) was better than sleeping in her undergarments and waking up drenched to the bone by a squall.

Such was life on the Quaking Coast, or so her mother always told her. Her parents were Pandaren of the sea, born and bred to fish the waters, but they still needed to make land from time to time. When Kaara had been born, their journeys didn't carry them quite so far, and their nets didn't drag up fish from the deep…but that was fine by them. Making sure Kaara grew up with an appreciation for the land as well as the sea was something they'd valued very highly. She'd been born on land, in the Village of the Singing Winds, but most of her life was out here.

Her mother whistled slightly as Kaara stood to her feet. "Sleep well, my little one?" Jinsong Galebreath, a Pandaren with jet black fur contrasting with sheer white in the places most Pandaren had that fur, reached out one hand, and gathered Kaara into a hug.

"I did." Kaara smiled and wrapped an arm about her mother's broad back. She'd heard her mother described as 'traditionally built'…something that Jinsong laughed at when Kaara had asked her what that meant. She took it as a good sign – her mother was no waif who the winds might carry away.

From the aft of the ship, Jaryit Galebreath, Kaara's father, worked the sails. The winds were blowing from the south, and to remain on course, Jaryit was tacking as best he could. He growled ferociously as a line attempted to disobey his will, and pulled it tighter…reining in the sail slightly.

"Your father and I had a disagreement." Jinsong murmured confidentially.

"What sort of argument did you have?" Kaara asked, her eyebrows furling downwards. Her parents did not agree all the time.

"Which way we should go, for one." Jinsong shrugged. "We're good for another day or so at sea."

"Are we heading for home, then?"

"Not just yet, little one." Jinsong shook her head. Long black hair trailed messily down her neck – Jinsong saw no need to arrange it if the wind was simply going to tease it into disarray at every opportunity.

"I could use a hand on the rigging." Jaryit spoke for the first time since Kaara had woken up. "Song of my heart, would you mind?"

Kaara rolled her eyes at the pet name he had for her, but made certain to do so while her head was angled away from her dad. Jaryit smiled as Kaara made her way to the back of the ship, near the wheel.

A few moments after she'd joined him astern, Kaara smelled something on the winds…which seemed to have shifted suddenly. "Father, I smell smoke."

"It's not simple woodsmoke." Jinsong spoke firmly and walked to the prow. "Jaryit, take her to the closest shore." There was something in her mother's tone that was not to be disobeyed…

Jaryit didn't disagree. Within moments, the fishing vessel was headed towards the craggy coast of Kun-Lai. The wind died as they drew closer, and soon Jaryit and Kaara had their hands full with pulling the sail in so that if it did pick them up, it wouldn't carry them out to sea. Jinsong kept them on course, making certain they didn't get grounded on a sand bar or a reef.

The smoke smell grew thicker as they drew close to the coastline, and an evil-looking plume rose in the distance. A sandy shore spread before them, Kaara recognized this area not as the harbor close to the village but one about three miles away from it. No sooner had they come close enough to the shoreline for Jinsong to step out and guide the ship in than she did so. There was urgency in her motions, and Kaara looked to her father in concern.

This was the first time she'd ever seen fear of that sort in his eyes. Jaryit had guided them through many storms, some of which had been incredibly strong…but this was no storm. Something else was happening. The three Pandaren worked together to pull the fishing vessel ashore, but rather than keep it on the shoreline, Jinsong pointed to the trees. "Get her out of the water."

"Out of the water?" Kaara questioned.

"I'll explain later." Jinsong muttered, short of breath. "For now…please do as I tell you."

Jaryit placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Keep working, little song."

It took a few more minutes for the ship to be pulled into the tree cover, and Jaryit had to yank the mast down. The small vessel was soon concealed in the forest, and before they could head towards the village, her mother held up a paw. "Something is amiss, possibly terribly so." Jinsong muttered. "We ran into two other fishermen the other day, remember?"

Jaryit answered this question. "Bao-Kwun and Kado, yes. They said they had nets down."

"If they had nets down, why didn't we see them on our way in?"

Jaryit's mind filled in the blank faster than Kaara's. "_Spirits_."

The sound of a scream filled the air…of a young Pandaren man's scream, which had carried over the pounding surf. "Jaryit, stay here with her." Jinsong stepped up on deck and removed a long pole, one with a wicked hook at the end. It was a harpoon…an implement that the Galebreath's seldom had to use.

"Mother…" Kaara held out a paw.

Jinsong grasped it in her free hand. "Mogu may have attacked the village. I am going to see who that was."

A second bellow, this time of someone in great agony, reached through the forest. "Please come back." Kaara beseeched her mother.

"I will." Jinsong promised, touching her forehead to Kaara's. "I swear."

Her mother vanished into the underbrush, heading back towards the Village of Singing Winds.

* * *

By the time Jinsong returned with a trio of elderly Pandaren following her, the attack was over. Jinsong's face held greater severity and concern than in any of the times Kaara had disobeyed her will. Jinsong, Jaryit, Kaara and the elders worked to move the ship out of the forest and back into the water. It was a hard task, but despite the fact that the elders were obviously injured and exhausted, it was done rather quickly. No sooner were they back in the water than they had to sail around the Quartet of Spires, which separated the bay the Galebreaths had taken refuge in from the harbor that the Village of the Singing Winds.

The Winds did not sing…rather, they screamed. Perhaps that mingled with the injured Pandaren that lay on the shore, towels arranged beneath them while two of the monks from the small village's temple worked some sort of green mist about the wounded. The huts closest to the shoreline had been burned, as had two of the docks, one of which continued to blaze merrily. Support struts that held several houses up for when the tide came in were splintered. Jinsong held a hand to Kaara's shoulder almost the entire time.

"They came in the middle of the night." The elder who'd been the most wounded of the three murmured. His left arm hung limply at his side, his elbow unable to move much. "Mogu…they stormed the shoreline…"

"Were there guards out?" Jaryit inquired.

"Of course not!" The elder responded in a waspish tone. "Not with the fog we had!"

Jinsong let loose a heavy sigh. "Who did they take?"

Another elder shook their head despondently. "Most of the folks in their middle years and a few older children."

Kaara, not even ten years old, shivered involuntarily. It was not the wind that caused her to do so. Had she been here…she wondered if they might have taken her. She felt sick to her stomach…but also happy that she had been where she was.

"Why didn't you come straight here?" The elder that hadn't spoken up asked sharply.

"Keep your voice down!" The one with the bad elbow snapped. "Do you want to make matters worse?"

"_How_ can they get worse?" That elder responded defiantly.

Jaryit placed a hand on their shoulder. "Elder Huan, _please_ keep yourself composed."

Huan glared but then caught Jinsong's determined eye, supporting her husband's words. At once they backed down. "I…have never been through something like this before." Huan admitted in a low voice that would not carry to the surviving pier. "Mogu…I thought they were only legends…"

"I've heard of them raiding Zouchin." Jinsong spoke quietly. "Clearly they are not simple legends."

The elder with the bad elbow gritted their teeth. "We must rebuild the village at once. Situate those who have lost their parents…find out exactly who is missing."

Kaara did not speak only because she did not feel her voice could lend much to things. Her mother tapped her on the shoulder. "Kaara, we will be staying here until the village is rebuilt. Will you be fine with that?"

"I will, mother." Kaara bowed her head.

Jinsong hugged her daughter to her full stomach. "This…is not something I ever wanted you to see, little one."

"You can't control the mogu, mother." Kaara had only heard them spoken of in the legends, the stories that the aging lorewalkers told. This attack was their handiwork. Her hands gathered into fists for a moment.

Jinsong's eyes squeezed shut. "No…I can't."

It was the first time Kaara had seen her mother close to tears in a very long while.

* * *

Shuchun's peace was disturbed by a triple knock at the door. At once, she looked up from the book and addressed whoever was here. "Yes?"

"Lorewalker Pao?" The voice of an older Pandaren woman asked. "It's Snow Blossom."

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong lorewalker if you're here to see him." Shuchun said with a low chuckle.

"But you _are_ a lorewalker?" The voice of Snow Blossom insisted.

"I am."

The door opened, and Shuchun squinted – the light in the hallway was far greater than that of her own room. "Is everything well, Lorewalker?" Snow Blossom inquired.

"As well as can be managed." Shuchun marked her place and closed the book…but only with incredible reluctance. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The Shado-Pan bowed. "I apologize for the interruption. Lord Zhu wanted me to see that your needs were attended to while you stayed here, Lorewalker Shuchun."

Shuchun smiled at once. "If there is one whose will is not to be disobeyed, it would be Lord Zhu." She stood to her feet. "I am…a bit hungry, now that I think of it."

Snow Blossom smiled in response. "Indeed. Dinner is to be served soon. Would you like to eat it in the main hall, or would you prefer I bring it to you here?"

The last prospect caused Shuchun to shake her head. "I would prefer to enjoy it in the main hall. I have…spent a great deal of time here." She tucked the book under one arm. "I would be honored to follow if you led the way."

"Of course. Today's meal is fresh duck, served with leeks and a special sauce prepared by a brewmaster."

"Oh, that sounds delectable!"

The fireplace, no longer attended to, soon petered out. Embers clung to life a few moments longer before fading, but the room would be dark when Shuchun returned.


	3. Johru the Sorcerer, Part 1

It was after dinner that Lorewalker Shuchun returned to her quarters, following Snow Blossom's lead through the halls of the Monastery. The winds howled outside, sleet furiously striking the walls from the west as a mountain storm blasted Kun-Lai's high slopes. The heavy torches of the Monastery seemed to be struggling against the tempest.

Inside the Monastery, it was comfortable. Heavy wooden panels had been closed over the window such that snow couldn't get in Shuchun's room. However, the fireplace was only embers now, and when Snow Blossom saw this, she apologized profusely. "I'll be back as soon as I can with more fuel for the fire." The veteran member of the Omnia discipline stated. "It will be but a moment."

It was a few more moments than Shuchun was hoping for. The blizzard raging outside was no doubt the biggest reason why her quarters were freezing, that and the fact that the fire had gone out meant that her wait for Snow Blossom's return was a bit chillier than she would have liked. However, when Snow Blossom returned, she returned with a burly Shado-Pan in tow, each hefting several logs.

The Shado-Pan following her was heavily built (as was proper for an adult Pandaren), though they were much rounder about the middle than Snow Blossom by a great deal. Shuchun took that as a good sign – eating properly kept up one's weight. In turn, that led one to attract a mate… It was as true in the stories she'd read about Pandaria's past as it was today. "This is the room, Snow Blossom?" The heavy Shado-Pan asked.

"Yes, Yi. Thank you for coming here." Snow Blossom stated. Yi promptly stepped to the fireplace, bowed to Shuchun, then began arranging the logs about the glowing embers of the fire. Within moments, they were cracking and sparkling nicely, as the flames began to come back to life.

"You have my thanks." Shuchun said to Yi, bowing gratefully. "I am Lorewalker Shuchun."

"Well met, Lorewalker." Yi bowed back. "I am Protector Yi."

It was as plain an introduction as Shuchun could have imagined. Yi bowed to Snow Blossom, and then left the room. "I trust this is a fair bit more hospitable?" Snow Blossom asked; her tone was that of someone quite eager to please a guest. She'd taken it upon herself to make Shuchun comfortable. This was something the Lorewalker appreciated greatly.

"It is." Shuchun admitted gladly. "The weather isn't exactly something you can control, but the fire will help a great deal."

Snow Blossom bowed again. "Yi told me that a caravan that was heading to the Temple of the White Tiger got snowed in, and they will be staying in the rooms across the hall and next to yours." The Omnia mage spoke in a soft tone of voice. "If you should need anything, whether it be more wood for the fire or a cup of tea, there are several initiates who will be glad to help you who will be standing in the hallway."

"My thanks." Shuchun bowed in return. "I will be certain to let you know."

"Of course." Snow Blossom smiled. "Good night, Lorewalker. Thank you for the meal."

The Omnia left, closing the door gently behind her. Shuchun took up one of the blankets and huddled near the fire – close enough to be warmed by it, but far enough away that no spark would cling to it. She was glad for the warmth. Within moments, she hefted the story of Kaara Sunstriker again and began reading once again.

The winds howled outside and the sleet drove against the Monastery walls. Shuchun let her mind drift, guided by the story to a very different time and place.

* * *

Months passed after the mogu attack on the Village of Singing Winds. Eventually a full year, then a second and a third passed. A fourth followed it, and the missing Pandaren remained a gaping hole in the village's daily life. Such life was a life that Kaara Galebreath would never have chosen, but it was what she had now.

The Galebreaths' sailboat was prone to flipping over as it also got long in the tooth. Eventually, the mast snapped at the base when the ship overturned in a reef, and the cost of a new mast would have left the family penniless and heavily in debt to the craftsmen who might have been able to shape a new mast. Selling the ship was a difficult decision…and committed the Galebreaths to life on the land for the foreseeable future. With no ship to sail on, and unable to replace the vessel they'd sold, the Galebreaths settled on the shore at last, and Kaara attended the Village School with greater regularity. It was not long after she turned sixteen, a full six years after the mogu attack on the village, that she met Johru the Sorcerer.

Most Pandaren would not desire to be called 'sorcerer'. That label carried all sorts of nasty meanings, some of which persisted from the days of mogu rule. Anything to do with mogu was a _very_ sore point for the Village of Singing Winds. However, Johru the Sorcerer was _not _most Pandaren. But more myth than actual fact surrounded him… There were rumors swirling about him in the Village, some since Kaara's first days attending the village school as a toddler. Since her life had shifted to the village instead of the sea, she heard more and more of them, and Kaara had no idea how many of them were true.

A few things were certain – Johru was a man about her father's age who attired himself in long robes, and who carried a strange metal staff on his back, which appeared to be two metal cloud serpents twisting around a central pole until the 'heads' faced a brilliant blue crystal. Some of the more superstitious villagers warned their children that Johru would carry them off in the night if they were particularly naughty. The word she heard used to refer to Johru was 'mage'. The man was no priest; _that_ much was for certain. Heavy about the middle as a proper Pandaren man should be, but bearing a long tail that few Pandaren men ever were blessed with, Johru was an enigma that fascinated many in the village.

It was an unusual request that brought her to meet him face to face for the first time. Jinsong, who held far more traditional beliefs than her husband, was disturbed by something she had seen recently. "Kaara?" Jinsong's voice called from within the kitchen. "I have something you must do while your father is away."

"What do you need, Honored Mother?" Kaara walked to the kitchen at once and saw that her mother was toiling over the wok. However, her gaze was not directed at the cooking implement and it appeared she was staring into space.

"I had a…vision." Jinsong spoke quietly. To Kaara, the meaning of that statement was both clear and muddled. Jaryit considered himself above portents and such things. Jinsong, however, put great stock in powers beyond her own. _The sea has many things we cannot see with our own eyes. That does not mean they are not there, nor does it make them any less powerful. _Her mother had said these things many times to Kaara as a child. When the other schoolchildren asked Kaara about her mother and she told them of Jinsong's beliefs, they laughed and called her superstitious. To Kaara, her mother always seemed to have a paw based well in reality. People mocked what they did not understand, after all.

"Do you wish me to find a monk?" Kaara asked.

"No. I need you to find someone else." Jinsong turned her attention from the kitchen to meet Kaara's eyes. "I'd like you to find Johru."

"Johru…" Kaara puzzled out the name. Then the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "Johru the _Sorcerer_?"

Her mother laughed immediately. "Yes, that is the one."

"You don't…know the stories?" It struck Kaara as very unusual that her mother would have wanted to see someone with the reputation Johru had…let alone would invite them into their home.

Jinsong's expression took a more serious note. "That man does more for this village than your classmates will ever understand." Jinsong spoke softly, but there was veracity in her words. "If Johru is the same as he was the last time I spoke with him, I believe him capable of…informing me better as to what I have seen."

Kaara gulped but chose not to contest her mother's words. "How can I find Johru?"

Jinsong turned to her. "Follow the road that leads to the mountains. If I remember the way…" She held a paw to her chin a moment. "You will cross a covered bridge over a small stream with a waterfall not far away. There is a path that splits away from the road to the mountains, and you will take this path until you find him."

"I can remember that. I remember the bridge…and the path as well, though I've never been down it." Kaara said, her mind keeping track of her mother's words.

Jinsong smiled. "There's a good girl. Grab a coat before you leave."

The weather was a steady drizzle outside, and Kaara needed no urging to heft a woolen jacket over her shoulders and set it into place. "Mother?" She had one last thing to ask before she left.

"Yes, Kaara?"

Kaara posed her question delicately. "Would Father approve of Johru visiting?"

This caused her mother to draw a long breath. Finally, she met her daughter's eyes. "There are certain tasks that cannot be accomplished until one has come to them, my child. If you come up with reasons why something is not to be done, your efforts will be half-hearted; if you succeed at all, it may take ten miracles to do so." Jinsong spoke quietly, yet there was strength in her words. "Your father is a good man, but he does not put stock in the traditions that my mother and my aunts instilled in me. I believe there is those power in old traditions, and Johru knows those old traditions."

Kaara Galebreath nodded. "Then…I shall do as you have asked of me."

Jinsong hugged her before she left, then kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Go, then. I will be here."

The clouds hung low over the coast, and a drizzle as murky as any mist accompanied Kaara Galebreath almost the entire way there. The directions were simple – Johru lived in the foothills, well away from the coastline, but close enough to the village that he made the journey in reasonable comfort. The covered bridge creaked as she stepped across, but it was stable and firm. The waterfall just downstream was quite beautiful, though there was not much in the way of water to fall down. It was no roaring river, but it brought peace of mind to Kaara.

She wondered why she didn't come this way more often. The things her classmates said about Johru and the mountain roads were likely part of the reason why. The mountains seemed to loom in the near-distance as she found the place where the road and the path took different courses. The craggy mountaintops were completely obscured by the low-lying clouds, leaving gloomy gray crevices of rock and forest as the only sign that they were there. When the weather was nice, one could see the icy peaks of these mountains many miles out at sea.

The drizzle parted, but a thick fog took its place in moments. Keeping her wits about her, Kaara followed the path. Though it did not appear well-traveled it was still distinctive as she entered a grove. Massive trees loomed out of the mists, looking strangely sinister in the light that did make it through the clouds and through the fog. Crooks of a tree that might have seemed inviting for shade in the middle of summer took on a haunting look in these conditions. Kaara refused to be intimidated, and kept her eyes on the path…occasionally minding the trees as well.

She noticed it then – a hulking shape in the mists…a shifting shadow that seemed to dance in the light. As she drew closer, her eyes widened in shock. The pictures of what mogu looked like were in most Pandaren scrolls at the village school, and in the library, for that matter. Kaara had never seen a mogu in the flesh before now. They were gigantic, easily twice her father's height and probably three times as heavy. But this mogu stood transfixed. Swallowing her fear, Kaara approached them – she could use the trees for cover easily enough if necessary, and years of life aboard a sailing craft had made her nimble and sure-footed, even in heavy fog. A low gasp escaped her throat as the mists seemed to part between her and the hulking figure. The mogu's eyes were closed tightly, and a pained expression hung about his lips and brow. Not a trace of life remained. Kaara soon saw the reason why.

The mogu wore heavy plate armor, the like of which some of the Pandaren traveling down the coast to the Temple of the Jade Serpent wore. There was a gaping hole in the left side, however…and the edges of that hole were crisp, and seemed to steam with residual heat. A second searing strike was on the opposite side of the mogu's chest, but this one had not burst the armor as the fatal blow had.

Johru was capable of this? She really didn't want to run into the man if he was capable of this… Kaara grasped her hands into fists. _I am here for a reason! And this mogu cannot harm me; he is dead!_

"Do not be afraid, young woman." A husky voice spoke from the mists, further down the path. "It is only I." The source of the voice revealed itself soon enough. A Pandaren man wearing flowing green robes that hugged an expansive midriff stepped out of the mists…a bushy black tail swaying behind him as he walked. His eye-markings were simple black circles, and thick eyebrows spread towards his ears. There was a scar across his nose.

Kaara summoned her voice after a very uncomfortable pause. "Are you Johru the Sorcerer?"

The Pandaren inclined his head to one side of his neck. "And if I am?"

"My mother asked me to find you."

"Who is your mother?" Johru asked.

"_Why_ do you need to know?" Kaara felt herself grow bold, despite the dead mogu behind her.

The Pandaren sighed. "Must you answer my questions with more questions?"

"Must _you_?" Kaara responded coldly.

This made the long-tailed Pandaren laugh at once. "A fair point indeed. We shall go in circles at this rate. Very well…your mother asked you to find me. I'd like to know who she is."

Kaara folded both arms over her stomach. "Jinsong."

"Jinsong…I know of only one Jinsong."

"Jinsong Galebreath." Kaara said quietly. "That is her name."

"Hmmm…" Johru let loose a long puff of air, causing the mists near his hot breath to shift. "This would not be the first time Jinsong has desired a portent puzzled out."

Kaara nodded, then she froze. "What do you mean it wouldn't be the first time?"

"Your mother is a _practical_ sort." Johru didn't answer her with a question. "When she comes across something she cannot understand, she seeks the advice of others. Occasionally that means she seeks my advice. Though she has not done so for many years." The snap of a breaking twig from behind the Pandaren man drew both of their attention to the fog behind Johru. The thickset Pandaren half-turned and nodded once to someone who was a mere silhouette in the mists…a very heavy figure indeed, but one Kaara couldn't make out. "Was this the only one?" Johru murmured.

A voice she could not hear answered him. There was another nod. Johru then met her eyes. "Have you any further questions, young one?" Johru asked. "Or may we answer them on the way back to your village?"

"Two questions before we go…seeing as you want to come along." Kaara held up two fingers.

Johru nodded. "I _may_ have answers. What would you like to know?"

"First…who is that behind you?" Kaara did not point, instead gesturing with a shake of her chin.

The Pandaren folded both arms over his chest. "You have never met them. They are…my successor." That appeared to be that, based on the finality of Johru's tone.

Despite her curiosity, Kaara refrained from asking further questions about the other figure. She doubted Johru would appreciate being asked more than two questions before they headed back to the village. "Did you kill that mogu?"

This made Johru stop where he stood. "I had…something to do with it." He murmured. "I can tell you how it happened on the way back from your village, if you'd like."

Kaara nodded once. "I'd like to hear that story, if there is one. But we should get going."

"Indeed, we should. Let us begin…" Johru gestured to the path. When Kaara looked in the mists behind him, the looming shadow had vanished. The mystery of Johru's successor would have to wait for now. The mists were not quite as thick on the return trip, though they were beginning to glow as the sun drew closer to the horizon and evening settled in. The sunset was truly spectacular as they arrived in the village.


	4. Johru the Sorcerer, Part 2

Their conversation was light-hearted on the way from Johru's grove to the village. The older Pandaren pointed out particular stumps where he'd found a particular variety of fungus, some of which he claimed made excellent healing agents. Kaara Galebreath mused that he knew more about the forest than all of her teachers at the school combined. The subject of the dead mogu did not come up on the return trip. Kaara _was_ curious, make no mistake, but she gathered that the dealing of death did not make for pleasant conversation. The fact that Johru seemed at ease for it not being mentioned was another benefit.

Johru's knowledge of the village was not nearly to the same extent as his knowledge of the forest. Where others bowed to him, he'd nod back stiffly in return. It was as though the notion of returning the gesture was entirely foreign. His tail swaying as he walked, Johru inevitably drew quite a few strange stares. The sorcerer responded with an abashed sort of smile to some of them…but his discomfort was obvious.

Kaara led him into the Galebreaths' home and quickly closed the door after his tail had crossed the threshold. No sooner was he inside than the heavy Pandaren let loose a sigh of relief. "I'm…glad to be out of eyeshot." He murmured.

"Kaara?" Jinsong stepped out from the living room. "You are back?"

"I am, Mother, and I brought Johru as you asked me to." Kaara bowed her head.

Jinsong smiled at the sight of the green-robed Pandaren. "Johru. Welcome into my home."

Johru showed a very toothy grin and bowed his head, with far greater ease than when he had been outside. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Galebreath."

"Please, sit down." Jinsong gestured to the comfier of the seats that were in the living room. Kaara wasted no time finding two glasses, one for Johru, the other for her mother, filling both with clean water. She'd long since stopped needing reminders for this sort of thing.

Johru was appreciative when she handed him the glass. He sat such that his tail tucked over his shoulder – it was at that moment Kaara realized she'd never have that sort of concern. A few of her classmates did, however; Inhai, a girl a year older than her, had a magnificent red-and-white striped tail that most of the school wished they could also have.

The Sorcerer sipped gratefully and nodded his head to Kaara. "My thanks." He then looked to Jinsong. "Your daughter is a fine young woman, Jinsong. I'm certain you must be impressed."

"I am." Jinsong accepted her glass and smiled appreciatively. "She has brought much joy into my life, and her father's as well."

Johru's eyebrows rose. "I can imagine. How _does_ Jaryit fare?"

"Well enough…though his back is bothering him of late, and he won't mention it." Kaara was amazed to see just how relaxed her mother was in Johru's presence. Knowledge of the old traditions or not, the man's very being seemed to put Jinsong Galebreath at ease. For her part, Jinsong seemed far more rested than any of the times that one of Kaara's classmates had visited when their parents accompanied them.

This caused the green-robed Pandaren to sigh. "He is not alone." Johru murmured. "Many in this village suffer, though few ever have the grace to admit it."

Kaara's mouth opened and words flew from her lips faster than she could stop them. "Johru, how would you know that?"

Before Jinsong could say anything, Johru answered her question. "It is in the way people walk in this village. Something great has been lost." He looked into his glass. "Can you not feel it, young one?"

Kaara at once met her mother's eyes. Jinsong did not look at her in shock, but rather, with a gaze that Kaara could not truly place - she was neither displeased nor impressed. "Many in this village were captured by the mogu." Kaara spoke softly, with far greater respect in her voice.

However, this didn't seem to affect Johru's tone. He spoke plainly. "How could such a disaster _not_ affect this place? We are social creatures, yes." He took another sip from this glass. "I grieve for those lost…though I am certain my concern is outweighed by those who had family members taken."

Jinsong spoke quietly. "That is true enough." Kaara's mother placed her glass on the wicker table and folded both arms over her lap. "My family left this village for Binan many years ago, before Kaara was born. Jaryit lost his siblings long ago. We are both fortunate in that regard." She met Johru's eyes.

Johru at once said, "Yet even so, you grieve."

The heavy sigh that fled Jinsong's lips was followed by a quick nod. "Kobal Gao was a friend of my husband, who served in the village guard. He was taken. Rami Quickpaw, my aunt's friend in childhood, also swept away by the mogu." She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes tightly. "They left families behind. They were not alone in that regard."

The sorcerer's heavy head nodded. "A few of their relatives sought me out afterwards." Jinsong's head at once shot up and she stared directly at Johru. The Pandaren held up a hand, his tail twitching behind him. "It is not as you might think, Jinsong…though I appreciate your concern. They wanted me to consult with spirits to find the ones they lost."

Kaara looked to Jinsong, then to Johru. "Did you?" Johru blinked, puzzled by her question. "Did you talk to spirits, I mean?"

"No." Johru said quietly. "I did not. Not that time, anyway."

"Can I ask why you didn't?" Kaara asked.

"You have just done so." Johru inclined his head towards one side of his neck, placing the knuckles of one hand as though to hold it up. "If people only come to me when they grieve, but ignore the spirits and the Celestials the rest of the time, I cannot help them." The sorcerer's head bowed. "They have a temple. They have priests, monks, and shamans to whom they should talk to. Why seek _me_ out?" The sorcerer folded one leg over the other.

Jinsong spoke now. "Perhaps they think you can help them." Her posture shifted as well.

"Perhaps they do. But they need to offer prayers to someone else." Johru's voice was icy. "I am of no use in that regard."

A most uncomfortable pause settled within the living room. Kaara fidgeted where she sat. Finally, Jinsong's voice broke the silence. "Johru…I had a vision. I do not know how much my daughter told you…"

"Only that you had a vision and you wished to see me." The Pandaren sorcerer's voice was considerate; even soft. "Little more than that."

Jinsong nodded, then looked to Kaara, and back to Johru. "Yes. It was about three nights ago." Jinsong stood to her feet. "I had just returned from helping an elder Angler fix their nets, and the fog was thick that night…" She stood to the door and her eyes closed tightly…as did her hands.

Kaara wasn't certain as to whether she would leave, but the look she got from Johru indicated she could remain. Clearly this was something she could remain privy to…if anything, her mother wanted her to be here for it, considering the values Jinsong had passed down to Kaara. Johru didn't interrupt, but rather allowed Jinsong to continue telling of what she had seen.

Jinsong turned back to them. "I saw a shape in the mists. I have seen mogu before, but…it was many years ago. I know what they look like…and the shape was clearly one of them, at the prow of a vessel. A large one, at that…" Johru's eyes narrowed slightly. Jinsong turned back from the door. "When I looked for others, to raise the alarm, I heard a colossal splash. When I looked back, the vessel was gone…as was the mogu."

Johru let loose a long breath between his teeth. "Interesting indeed, Lady Jinsong. Three nights ago, there was indeed a very heavy fog."

"It was so thick one might have woven sails from it." Jinsong said quietly. "Even so…I know what it was I saw that night."

"Did you tell anyone in the village?"

"I told the village guards at once." Jinsong spoke firmly, her tone displeased. "We found nothing when the harbor watch was sent out."

Johru leaned forwards in his seat, his tail tucking back over one shoulder. "Hmmm…I wonder…"

Jinsong sat down once more and rested both hands in her lap again. This time, they gripped so fiercely together that Kaara feared her mother would scratch her knuckles bloody. "I do not know if he saw me. Or if the ship was close enough to the shore to see the village."

"It is possible." Kaara spoke. "In a heavy fog like that, who knows how far that ship was off its course?"

"Your daughter speaks wisely." Johru stood to his feet. "I did not think that was any simple fog on that night. I think it was the Mists themselves that kept that ship from seeing the shoreline…and kept this village from a second attack. In any event, the village should be grateful the mogu did not venture any closer."

Kaara knew the legend well enough from school. The Mists of Pandaria seemed to settle in on strange nights, masking away the rest of the world. On other nights, not a wisp was to be found. "Why would the Mists have come now, and not six years ago?"

Johru looked at her quizzically, then a sigh rattled from Johru's lips. "In truth, I do not know."

Jinsong looked to both the sorcerer and her daughter. "I have wondered this myself…and I also have no answers."

"There are more mysteries in this world than a hundred thousand monks could ever imagine in all their lifetimes." Johru said contemplatively. "The Mists are more mischievous than any woodland sprite. They settle in such that a mountain goat might walk across them on some nights. Other nights, there is nothing. Why would they swoop in so thickly that a mogu ship would turn away now, but not then?" He shrugged his heavy shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"If the mists won't stop the mogu, then who will?"

Kaara's question hung in the air a while. Jinsong and Johru met her eyes, then averted their gazes, staring instead at the coffee table. She knew what that meant – neither of them had an answer for her question.

* * *

Kaara and Jinsong insisted on walking Johru back home, or at least as far as the covered bridge. The Sorcerer certainly seemed glad for their company, and when their paths parted and Johru walked into the sheltered grove he called home, the long-tailed Pandaren bowed to them.

"Many thanks for your generous hospitality, Jinsong Galebreath. Until the next time." Johru called out. Jinsong bowed, returning the gesture. Kaara followed suit.

They did not head back immediately. Jinsong took a path that led down to the stream and the waterfall, and sat down regally on a flat stone that overlooked both.

"I have been thinking about the question you asked." Jinsong said after a moment, inviting Kaara to sit beside her.

The younger Galebreath joined her mother in a moment. "What are your thoughts?"

Jinsong met her daughter's eyes. "We have been lucky." A long, ragged sigh escaped her lips. "Six years ago, I had a…feeling that we needed to be out at sea. Even though we caught so little that night before the attack, we were not in the village." She wrapped one heavy arm about Kaara and hugged her close. "A whim, really…but it saved you."

"You think I'd have been taken?" Kaara asked, wrapping her own arm about her mother's far shoulder.

For the first time since the attack, Jinsong's eyes filled with tears. She nodded once. "Fortune smiled on us."

"Then fortune must be a fickle thing indeed." Kaara's voice was soft. "I can't think of anyone in the village who could say the same about that day."

Jinsong met her daughter's eyes and nodded once. "Any member of the Anglers could tell you that fortune can be both horrid and wonderful. Hopefully not at the same time…" She offered in a more lighthearted tone. Her expression became crestfallen once more. "As far as who will stop the mogu if the Mists are useless in that regard…" She looked down at her toes.

"There are the Shado-Pan." Kaara pointed out.

This caused her mother's expression to become a frown. "Shado-Pan are creatures of the land. The mogu work from sea. To fight them, you would need a ship…and weapons…and a crew." Jinsong's brow furrowed. A low humming noise came from her lips. "Most importantly, you will need to be a person that others look to and trust with their lives."

Kaara met her mother's eyes. "I'm not old enough to have that much respect."

"No. But you will be." Jinsong held a paw to Kaara's shoulder. "You remember my sisters, yes?"

She did at once. Jinsong's siblings were stolid Pandaren, stoic in their bearing but dutiful to a fault. "I remember them, yes. But I think of you as the best of them." He hugged her mother close.

At once, Jinsong smiled and her ears twitched. "It means much to hear you say that, little one, even if I know your words are hardly objective."

"You're my mother. Do you want me to be objective?"

Jinsong said nothing, but held her daughter close.

* * *

Kaara Galebreath's story had a few gaps in it, which Shuchun's mind had to fill in. She gathered this Johru was an important figure, given how there was an entire chapter devoted to Kaara's first encounter with him. One thing was certain: whoever had written this had to have won Kaara's trust for her to given such an in-depth look at her early life.

The winds still howled beyond the shelter of Shuchun's room. She was about to turn to the next chapter, one that she hoped would bring her up to the point at which Kaara gained a vessel and began to earn her reputation, when a small piece of paper that had been folded between pages fluttered up from its position such that Shuchun's fingers touched it. Was it a schoolchild's note, someone who had borrowed the book leaving a message in the hopes that the next person to get it might understand their humor?

It was something else entirely. The language of the folded-up note was crisp, clear, a scholar's handwriting to be certain. Shuchun's eyes roved over the note.

_My mother's name was Jinsong Galebreath. If you ever visit the Village of Singing Winds, I ask you to whisper that name to the air itself. You will be answered, but only if you listen closely._

_Kaara-_

The note had been torn at that point, as Shuchun could read no further legible text. It answered a few questions for her. Whoever Kaara had dictated the note to must have won her trust first, and then had written the story as it had been related. A lorewalker, perhaps?

The lorewalker yawned and stretched her arms behind her head. Just as she was about to close the book and head to bed, the name of the next section caught her attention.

At once, her eyes widened and a smile came across her face. She _could_ wait a little longer before bed…


End file.
